The MTP® Connector

The most widely adopted MPO Connector

What is an MPO Connector?

MPO is the industry acronym for “multi-ﬁber push on.” These connectors have more than 1 ﬁbre in a single ferrule and snap into place by a mechanical mechanism. There are many designs of MPO on the market from the various manufacturers.

The MTP® connector is a high performance MPO connector with multiple engineered product enhancements to improve optical and mechanical performance when compared to generic MPO connectors.

The MTP® connector is used by many of the leading manufacturers and is the only multi-ﬁbre connector used by Complete Connect.

24 Fibre MTP® Female Connector

12 Fibre MTP® Male Connector

Used by all the leading high density fibre manufacturers the MTP® Connector is at the heart of the Complete Connect solution.

The 12 fibre connector has been designed to provide enhanced “overlife” performance and is key to maintaining a robust network.

We believe the market leading MPO connector in terms of performance and durability is the MTP® connector produced by USConec – which is why our range is standardised on this product and is also probably why the connector is used by many other brands including Corning, Systimax by Commscope, TYCO Amp Net Connect / ADC Krone, Panduit, Siemon and many others.

MTP® Connector Features

There are two aspects to the connector; the housing and the ferrule. There are multiple options of both which are used for different ﬁbre core counts and different construction cables.

MT stands for mechanical transfer and an MT ferrule is a multi-ﬁbre (usually 12 ﬁbres) ferrule. The performance of the connector is determined by the ﬁbre alignment and how this alignment is maintained after connection. Ultimately, the alignment is determined by the eccentricity and pitch of the ﬁbre and how accurately the guide pins keep the ﬁbres together during mating. The performance of any MPO connector can be improved if the tolerances of the pins and the moulding processes are reduced during manufacture.

Why is the MTP Connector Described as A High Performance MPO Connector?

There are features on the MTP connector that have been specially designed to give improved performance and better usability over generic MPO connectors. These design features are unique to the MTP and are patent protected. The key features are described below:

1. The MTP connector housing is removable.

Re-work and re-polish of the MT ferrule ensures overlife performance. The gender can be changed after assembly or even in the ﬁeld giving ﬂexibility at point of use. The ferrule is scanned interferometrically after assembly

The best method available for cleaning MT ferrules to remove dust and oils which reduce optical performance is the use of an advanced dry cloth cleaning system like the IBC branded cleaning tool or an NTT-AT OPTIPOP.

The cleaning method is very simple as it involves a single pass. When using the recommended cleaning system contaminants are completely removed as opposed to using low grade cloths or swabs which just move the contaminants away from the ﬁbres but leave them on the ferrule face.

The IBC click cleaners and OPTIPOP family of cleaners are designed for use with both male and female connections and have options for single ﬁbre ceramic ferrule connectors as well.

The OPTIPOP cassette and card cleaners allow the owner to reﬁll the cleaning clothes which can reduce cost per cleaning below traditional cleaning methods.

Compatibility With Other MPO Connectors

MPO style connectors that are compliant to industry standards are inter-mateable with the MTP connector. This means that changing from 1 style connector to the MTP connector and getting higher levels of performance is possible.